REVIEW: The Dino-Lite Pro2 Digital Microscope>>>>>>>
By: John B. Holbrook, II
June 7, 2009
Copyright 2009 – All Rights Reserved
I normally don't review photographic equipment in watch forums, but so many people expressed interest in this product after I posted some of my initial test photos using the Dino-Lite Pro2, I thought I'd break with convention.
My exposure to the Dino-Lite Digital Microscope came from a phone conversation with John Brozek, of QualityTyme.net. John had been using the product with great success, and recommended I give it a try.
The Dino-Lite series of Digital Microscopes is made by "Big Catch" (as indicated on the packaging) or "BigC" (www.bigc.com). Apparently it's manufactured in Taiwan and sold here in the US through a distributer network out of Los Angeles. The product has MANY different applications across many different industries - watch and jewelry inspection being one of them. Here's a photograph of the Dino-Lite Pro2 and the table top stand:
Here's the digital microscope unit itself:
The table top stand is a separate item also manufactured by "BigC" - while it is possible to use the digital microscope without the stand, I don't recommend it. You won't get anywhere near the results you would get without a stand - think of it as a tripod for a camera.
The microscope unit itself has a series of LED lights around the "lens" which provide ample light for the photographs taken. Fine working distance focusing can also be set on the microscope unit.
The combination of the Dino-Lite Pro2 and the accessory desktop stand produced some impressive results - here's some dial and dial sample captures using the Dino-Lite on my Rolex Daytona and Yacht-Master:
The Rolex logo on the Yacht-Master dial:
An extreme close up of the Yacht-Master second hand:
The escapement of the Daytona:
The laser engraving of the Rolex logo on the crystal of my Daytona:
The model number on the Daytona movement:
The biggest advantage of the device is ease of use. No post-photo editing or "Photoshop" is necessary. Plug the USB device into your computer, install the included software, and you're ready to run. Controlling the unit is done almost entirely via software. Again, as you can see from these sample images, it's capable of producing very impressive results.
Surprisingly, the Dino-Lite uses a comparatively small sensor that produces captures of only 1.3mp in size or 1280x1020 maximum resolution. I'm hoping future versions of the Dino-Lite use a bigger sensor, given that most cell phones now have 2-3mp camera sensors in them. However, given that most photos posted on the web are 800x600, the maximum resolution is adequate, even for producing captures for magazine print. The device is also capable of producing video - frame Rate: up to 30 frame-per-second, 15fps at 1.3M.
I'm a little fuzzy on the actual magnification the unit provides. According the package, the unit can do 10x ~50X, 200x. However, these numbers differ from the specifications listed on the website for the Dino-Lite AD-413TL - 10x ~20X, 20X~92X.
Beyond just producing some amazing photographs of your favorite watch, the unit would be extremely useful in examining watch dials for signs of refinishing or even determining authenticity.
Interested parties may contact John Brozek of www.qualitytyme.net at jb247@hotmail.com - John is organizing a "group buy" and with 10 or more people ordering, he can offer a substantial discount off both the Dino-Lite unit and the accessory desktop stand.
**Photos & Text Copyright 2008 WATCH TALK FORUMS. No part of this report can be reproduced outside of WATCH TALK FORUMS without the expressed permission of John B. Holbrook, II.
